Installing a Chain Link Fence

Before you start digging any holes, check with the local building authority to find out if you need a permit to put up a fence. You'll also want to find out from your local utility companies if there are any wires or gas lines buried where you want to install your fence. If there are, you're going to have to work out a way around this, or possibly even abandon the project. If all the logistics work out, though, you can start installing fence posts.

The first step is determining the dimensions of the fence. Mark the locations of the end, corner, and line posts with wooden stakes, spacing them according to the manufacturer's instructions. Dig holes about 8 inches wide and one-third of the post length deep, plus 4 inches. Fill those 4 inches with gravel. Start with the corner and end postholes, filling them with 6 inches of concrete and inserting the posts in it, making sure they are plumb. Continue to fill the holes and check that they are plumb with every few shovelfuls of concrete. Slope the concrete away from the poles for water drainage. Allow 2-3 days for the concrete to set and dry. Follow the same procedure for positioning the line posts after pulling a string taught between all the terminal posts. Space them according to the manufacturer's recommendations, and ensure their height is the height of the fabric minus 2 inches.

Put tension bands (3 for a 4-foot fence, 4 for a 5', 5 for a 6') on the end, corner, and gate posts. You should also put the necessary hardware on the gate posts at this time. Loosely bolt the brace bands on all these posts. Attach the loop caps to the line posts (the top rail will thread through these) and the end caps and rail caps, using a rubber mallet. Follow the manufacturer's instructions for installing any brackets.

After you put the top rails through the loop caps and the loop brackets, you can use a fence stretcher and start attaching the fabric to the tension bands on the posts. The fabric should be about 2 inches off the ground, and you may have to remove some of it to get the right height. Use the fence stretcher to get the fabric taut, but not too much. There should be some give when you squeeze it together with your hand. Attach the necessary bands as you go from post to post. Installing a chain link fence is a pretty involved task. It will require some help, meticulous attention to detail and instructions, and patience. If you think you have all those down pretty well, do your research and have fun with it!